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Friday, July 22, 2011

Your Summer Travel Cosmetic Bag

Most of us make summer travel plans and then get excited as we imagine the outfits we are going to wear as we walk the streets of Naples or on the island of Vieques or even a simple camping trip in Michigan.  Britney Spears cutoffs, anyone?

What we often don't think about is how to pack a proper cosmetic bag.  I once went on a weekend trip to Vegas with my sister and laughed as she pulled out three cosmetic bags, one for makeup,  she explained, one for skin and haircare products and lastly her contacts and vitamins/medicine bag!  I'll kindly leave out the fact that she brought a full sized suitcase we had to check in and wait an hour for at the airport.  (Oops...couldn't leave that alone!)

I have become an excellent travel packer.  The reason being: it saves time and I have never been known to wait patiently in lines.  Last year I went to Buenos Aires for 10 days in December with a carryon and a large bag that I called a purse.  (United made no qualms about it, so there!)  Most women I know (ahem, a certain best friend that lives in LA and travels to Brazil with two huge suitcases like she's about to be lost on a desert island) can't imagine how I've been able to pull this off, but I have.   I have also expertly been able to compact or shrink size my cosmetic bag and those of you that know me also know how I love my beauty products.  I would like to pass on my wisdom on this issue and hope you consider these tips as you pack your bags.

THINGS YOU ABSOLUTELY NEED:

Makeup-Bring an eyeshadow pallete that contains several colors for choice options.  This will keep you from bringing 6 or ten eyeshadows jamming up your bag. The same for blush.  Pour foundation in a small container, maybe one you've recycled from a product sample.  You only need one mascara ladies!

Emergency Kit-Mini tweezers, mini nail kit, mini sewing kit.   Necessary medicines in a contact lense container is brilliant, one side for advil and the other for vitamins.  Or, if you're my sister bring two contact lense containers,  you'll still be better off than bringing bottles of advil and vitamins.

Hair and Skin Care Products-Save your samples for this!  Samples of your favorite organic beauty products are your friend on vacation.  They are luxurious and take your vacation to an adventurous level.  If you don't it is a MUST to pour your favorite styling aids in those small 1 oz. containers you stole from the hotel from your last vacation and are hoarding in your bathroom drawer.  This saves so much space in your bag.  I also bring a multi-purpose moisturizer (Tesoro-Mediterranean Blend) that I can use on my face, hair and nails in a pinch.
Tesoro Mediterranean Blend

Save Room-Purchase a new olive oil hand cream in Italy, exfoliator in France or Decouverte under eye repair serum in Chicago.  Discovering new beauty products from around the world is my favorite thing ever.  First stop in Spain, the local Farmacia! 

These tips should help you get through security and that TSA agent.  You know the one just waiting to open up your cosmetic bag and rummage through, pulling out "suspicious" bottles of body wash in  horrific 4 oz. containers.

Happy Travels and happy shopping at the Spanish Farmacia.

Victoria in Barcelona
                                                           
                                                        
www.labellafigurabeauty.com